Was macht ein Full Stack Developer? Ionuț Alexandru Coșuleanu im Interview

DevStory

Ionuț Alexandru Coșuleanu

Background

How did you get into programming?

Since I was 14 years old, I started to be interested in programming (building basic web pages, small scripts...). Years after, at university, when studying Aerospace Engineering, I had programming courses and, therefore, had the chance to acquire basic programming concepts.

At which age did you start?

I started “seriously” during University. So let’s say 18-19 years old.

Which programming language did you first get excited about?

I always loved web programming. So when I was 14 years old, I got excited about HTML & CSS. Then, at university, MATLAB and Python.

Your DevJob

What exactly is your DevJob about?

I’m taking care of my company’s website: I add new plugins in our CMS, which is built on top of Wagtail; I add new components in the website... Also, I build and maintain internal applications. In both cases, I do the front- and back-end.

Regarding the tech stack, I mainly work with Django (for the backend) and React (for the frontend). Depending on the application, I use jQuery, Vanilla JS, Amazon Web Services, Python etc.

What do you particularly like about your DevJob?

Challenging myself and problem solving.

What kind of challenges do you face specifically in your DevJob?

I think in programming there are many and sometimes lots of solutions. Therefore, I’d say the hardest thing is choosing the proper and optimised one.

What are your preferred technologies?

Since I’m working as a web developer, I really love HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Python. As well, I’m comfortable working with the frameworks React and Django. For the deployment, I prefer to use AWS.

Windows or Mac?

At work I use Linux, while for my personal projects, Mac.

Personal and Professional Growth

Which Dev Projects do you have outside of your work?

After work, I’m building a personal blog where I store all my DEV notes. In the past, I built small apps for fun, for events such as birthdays and for the students association I belonged years ago.

How do you keep yourself up to date for your job?

I’m subscribed to DEV YouTube channels. As well, I have licenses in e-learning platforms such as Egghead. Sometimes I read articles.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

My idea is to come back to Spain and work as a freelancer and/or building apps.

Tips for beginners

How do you start programming and what should you start with?

Hard question... I think there’s not a single way and all those ways can work fine depending on the person.

I can tell my way, how I started.

When I started to be in touch with programming, I had curiosity on how a website was built. Because of that, I learnt basic HTML & CSS and tried to “clone” that specific website.

Years later, when I started to work as a developer, I did lots of courses and built small apps to gain experience.

Which skills are required for your work?

I’d say curiosity. Thanks to this skill, you’d be willing to build an application, learn a programming language...

Moreover, perseverance is helpful as well: enrolling a course is very easy but completing it is very hard.

In your opinion, what kind of education helps to be good at your DevJob?

I’d say enrolling e-learning platforms and starting doing courses may be enough. Moreover, I consider a plus attending seminars/meetups so you can learn from the “mistakes” of other developers.